For years, alumni engagement leaders have been feeling the burn of quantifying the results of our work. Never as easy to quantify as dollars in the door and other frontline fundraiser metrics, we find ourselves trying to justify funding and support for our work without being able to show the ROI as easily as frontline fundraisers. Have we been making it too complicated? In this session, Ellen Whitlock Baker and Aaron Clarry will outline how we have created an efficient way to measure and report alumni engagement metrics at Seattle University because of the strong partnership we’ve developed between our two shops. We will show how you can simply collect and report out on some of the CASE AEM data, even if you can’t track it all. We’ll also show examples of key reports to leaders and team members to keep alumni engagement metrics accurate and top of mind. This session is great for alumni engagement professionals as well as those who work in advancement services roles; it’s with our power combined that we are able to more effectively report on engagement KPIs.

Mentorship is not a numbers game, it is an opportunity to connect your alumni community in a tangible way to the institution and future alumni. By creating an interconnected, fulsome mentorship platform that encourages connection worldwide, you expand the ability of alumni and students to achieve greater success in their careers and personal development, while enhancing the reputation of your institution.

In this session, we will explore a real-world case study that demonstrates how collaboration, strategic planning, and effective stakeholder engagement can drive revenue growth and transform an organization. Imagine starting at a new organization raising just $600,000 a year and transforming it to a consistent $4 million a year in revenue after just 18 months. We’ll explore the practical strategies that fueled our growth and how to create a collaborative relationship with Faculty and Advancement leadership. Join us to learn more about this journey where people power and relationships led to dramatic financial transformation!

In this lightning-fast session, we’ll condense 25 years of higher ed print communications experience into 60 ideas that you can use TODAY to make your print publications more read, more loved, and more valuable. From optimizing your print publications for the coffee table to techniques that can 8x the effectiveness of your headlines, to “engagement engineering” to make stories as feedback-friendly as possible, participants will come away with concrete ideas that they can implement immediately and make a real difference for their publications and communications.

In this multi-disciplinary approach, learn how Oregon State University crafted its most comprehensive discovery program to date. This presentation will showcase how we blend traditional marketing and analytics with cutting-edge artificial intelligence and machine learning to identify and connect with potential donors. Learn about our newly formed team of development officers dedicated exclusively to this critical work, and discover how this program is also driving our volunteer engagement efforts. In an industry facing a challenging donor landscape, this program represents a forward-thinking solution to rejuvenate and expand OSU's donor base, ensuring a sustainable and thriving future for the organization.

In 2022, the Office of Alumni Relations (OAR) engaged an alumni volunteer committee as the Alumni Recognition Focus Group (ARFG) to re-design alumni recognition and awards programming at Mount Royal University (MRU). The revamped program that emerged in 2023, the Outstanding Alumni Awards, integrated direct feedback from these alumni volunteers and aligned alumni recognition directly to Mount Royal’s vision and values while supporting the strategic goals from both the Alumni Relations strategic plan and the overall University Advancement strategic plan. This shift has created the opportunity to celebrate alumni who may not have received recognition under the previous, achievement-focused format and provides the opportunity for deeper relationship building with a wider alumni audience. The Outstanding Alumni Awards (OAA) is a year-round program engaging alumni, priority campus stakeholders and friends of the university actively in volunteer roles and content creation. This evolution process and subsequent awards program recently received a Silver Medal at the CCAE (Canadian Council for Advancement in Education) Prix d'Excellence awards.

Come join UVic’s Leadership Giving Team to learn how, with minimal resources and a team of three, they secured a 50% response rate to their invitation to meet, and over 20% positive responses, including major gifts and new student awards. With a comprehensive campaign on the horizon, all hands are on deck to help identify new prospects to support UVic’s ambitious goals. Through a multi-channel, personalized qualification strategy, the newly established Leadership Giving team (raising gifts in the 1k-25k/year range) launched a personalized invitation to meet -- and in the process, developed a scalable qualification model on a shoestring budget. Learn about their DIY approach and leave with ideas, and a solid plan to uncover prospects in your own database.

In an era dominated by the attention economy, the digital landscape is rife with cynicism, misinformation, and disengagement. Yet, as fundraisers, optimism is in our DNA. So, what would happen if we decided to lean into that optimism? And what if it were contagious? In this “net-positive” session, we’ll explore how joy and hope are not only core to who we are but something we’re uniquely capable of spreading. Discover how to create authentic and thoughtfully designed online experiences for your community that capture attention—and then effectively channel that attention towards meaningful and impactful philanthropic initiatives. We’ve got examples!

Learn how advancement services at the University of Manitoba became the catalyst for a data-driven transformation and a hub of innovation. This journey began with a bold statement: "to become a data-driven organization." By implementing direct changes, advancement services evolved from a small service unit into a dynamic solutions provider. This transformation rapidly expanded to adjacent business units and, within just four years, reached central departments and faculties. Discover the best practices and strategies that fueled this rapid evolution, and learn how to apply these principles to foster innovation and data-driven decision-making in your own organization. Join us for an inspiring session filled with actionable insights and proven success stories.

With career pivots and side hustles becoming the norm, the alumni community’s appetite for ongoing career support is stronger than ever. The University of Calgary has successfully implemented a comprehensive suite of alumni career development initiatives designed to support professional growth and cultivate lifelong relationships. This session explains our multi-faceted approach, highlighting key career development offerings that have significantly increased alumni engagement and improved the lives of thousands of our alumni. These offerings are highly replicable and can be initiated by other institutions to improve engagement, all while providing life-changing support that positively impacts their alumni and greater community. The success of our innovative alumni programming is evidenced by increased participation rates, positive feedback, and the strengthened sense of community among our alumni. By sharing our strategies and outcomes, we aim to inspire other institutions to adopt similar approaches, ultimately enhancing alumni engagement and their lifelong career development.